A Request for Absolution
by Fuyu no Kitsune
Summary: Ienzo seeks forgiveness from the Restoration Committee for all he's done in his earlier life.


Ienzo remembered all he had done.

He'd followed Xehanort too avidly, and paid for it twice. He'd hurt others.

He'd deserved to die, both times.

Now that he'd returned, with both Heartless and Nobody destroyed, he felt he needed to apologize to those he'd wronged. He didn't expect them to forgive him – they had every right not to – but there was a glimmer of hope that maybe, _maybe _they would.

He was getting strange looks while he walked through Radiant Garden, lexicon tucked under his arm; to some of them, he was a stranger. To others, he was the young student who'd betrayed their world. He faintly remembered some of their smells, and naturally some were stronger than others. Some had even changed.

He paused upon seeing the Restoration Committee. He recognized all, but they looked so different from the teenagers they had been all those years ago. That was to be expected, of course, but that didn't change the effect it had on him. Before, they'd been so young, so vulnerable. He'd been surprised they'd survived, but then again, children had the best chances. And now, after ten years as a Nobody, they were older than him.

The youngest one – he couldn't remember her name, so he started flipping through his lexicon... ah, Yuffie – was... well, he wasn't entirely sure what she was doing, but she was certainly energetic about it. There was the prodigal boy from the military academy – he turned another few pages – Leon, now a grown man. And the other boy, the blond – his name was Cloud, and he'd had such average grades in the same school. The brunette holding his hand, Tifa, had grown up into a fine young woman, a bartender and even a fighter when necessary.

It was the girl next to Leon, the one tending to the flowers, that caught his eye, however. The lexicon had reminded him of her name at their earlier run-in – she was Aerith, the one he had saved. She was the one who, both before and after his sacrifice, had _thanked _him. She'd been the first to forgive him.

And he still didn't know why.

What's more, Ienzo remembered her as the thirteen-year-old she'd been at the time of the world's fall. It was clear she hadn't changed much, just as it was obvious that she'd become much stronger with their struggle. But even with all that she'd been through, Aerith was still the same kind-hearted young girl, regardless of the change in age.

Closing the lexicon, he walked up to the group. Unsurprisingly, she was the first to acknowledge him with a smile.

"Ienzo," she greeted him warmly. He found himself smiling back at her, somehow realizing that within those few minutes they'd spoken before, they'd become friends. Well, he supposed, that wasn't altogether surprising. She had forgiven him before anyone else, after all.

"You're Ansem's apprentice," Leon said simply. He nodded.

"I want to ask your forgiveness," he told the group. "All of you were victims of the loss of our beautiful world,and moreso later when you were burdened to restore it. I... I apologize for all the trouble I've caused you."

Aerith paused, frowning for a moment. But as she turned to face him, the smile was back in place.

"You never had to apologize. Our world came back, and we're doing all we can to help it. That's all we need."

He couldn't believe it. She was forgiving him _again! _Perhaps he should have expected it of her. But he still didn't deserve it; why would she –

"She's right," Leon agreed. "We're doing what we can to fix your mistakes." She scolded him for his choice of words, but he continued to speak with a mere shrug. "We'll have our world back to normal some day, and thanks to you we can be proud for having made it that way."

Ienzo's smiled faltered, but he refused to let it fade completely. She was still frowning at Leon, he realized, and decided to make a promise of his intentions.

"No, he's right. They are my mistakes. But I assure you, I will be helping you restore Radiant Garden in any way possible."

"That's good enough for me!" Yuffie exclaimed, pumping her fist excitedly. "Welcome to the Restoration Committee!" Tifa nodded in agreement, smiling.

"See, Ienzo? You don't need to ask for forgiveness. We've already forgiven you." Aerith handed him one of her flowers. "Welcome home!"

It was beautiful.

* * *

**Hey, look who hasn't posted in an eternity.**

**There's a weak ending, I know. But I wasn't entirely sure how to execute it, and this is actually what turned out the best. -shrug- What happens, happens, I guess.  
**


End file.
